KALAMAZOO, Mich.  – Sophomore Kawanise Wilkins scored 26 points with 17 in the second half and five in overtime to propel Western Michigan men's basketball past Miami in overtime 84-79 on Saturday afternoon inside University Arena.

WMU trailed 68-63 with 1:19 to play before Wilkins caught fire scoring five straight points to tie the game. Trailing by three with 30 seconds left, Wilkins dribbled to the top of the key and knocked down his only three-pointer of the game to send the Broncos and RedHawks into overtime.

During the overtime period the Broncos jumped out to a four-point lead thanks to back-to-back lay-ups from senior Seth Dugan. Miami countered with a 6-2 run to tie the game at 74-74 with 2:07 remaining. WMU struck back with a 6-0 run on a three-pointer by freshman William Boyer-Richard along with an and-one by sophomore Michael Flowers to gain a 79-74 advantage.

Down the stretch in OT the Broncos made four of their final five field goals as Wilkins went 3-of-4 from the free-throw line the final 30 seconds of play to secure the victory. WMU won its second game in five days, improving its overall record to 8-18, 2-11 in Mid-American Conference play.

Wilkins led the Broncos with 26 points, matching his career-high he set last season at Barton Community College against Colby Community College. Wilkins scored 17 of his 26 in the second half and registered five points in overtime. The Chicago, Ill., native was a staggering 10-of-13 from the field and had seven rebounds and two assists.

Freshman William Boyer-Richard had a career day against the RedHawks, scoring a career-high 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. Boyer-Richard was lethal from long distance, knocking down four three-pointers.

For the sixth straight game, sophomore Michael Flowers scored in double figures with 14 points. Flowers scored half of his points from the free-throw line going 7-of-9. The sophomore guard played 37 minutes registered four rebounds and four assists.

Leading the Broncos on the glass was senior Seth Dugan with 10 rebounds to go along with eight points in a career-high 43 minutes played. Dugan ended the day 4-of-7 from the field with two assists and one block.

Western Michigan for the game shot 46.7 percent from the field including a staggering 54.2 percent in the second half. The Broncos had 11 turnovers to Miami's 14 with WMU scoring six points off of turnovers. WMU dominated in the paint scoring 32 points to Miami's 22. Off the bench the Brown & Gold scored 35 points, improving its record to 3-1 when scoring over 20 points off the bench.

After playing three games in five days, Western Michigan will have a week off before playing its next game on Saturday, Feb. 23 at in-state rival Eastern Michigan. The two rivals played earlier this season in Kalamazoo with WMU falling to EMU, 93-67.

It was a sloppy start to the game for the Broncos committing three turnovers during the first three minutes of play as Miami earned a 6-1 lead. WMU quickly regained the lead after back-to-back three-pointers from Boyer-Richard to lead 7-6 at the 15-minute mark.

Midway through the first half Miami held a 19-14 lead as WMU went just 1-of-8 from the field during a five-minute stretch. Both teams traded baskets before freshman DJ Houston knocked down a corner three to give the Brown & Gold a one-point lead with 6:30 remaining.

WMU hit just one of their final nine field goals to end the first half and went to the locker room with a 33-28 deficit. Through the first 20 minutes of play, Boyer-Richard led the Broncos with 10 points.

To open up the second half, WMU made four straight field goals to tie the game at 39-39. The Broncos took a 48-41 lead at the 12-minute mark as Miami was held scoreless from the field for nearly six minutes. Miami trailed 53-48 at the 7:20 mark prior to embarking on a 12-1 run the next two minutes to gain a 60-54 advantage.

Later in the second half, Flowers made two free-throws to cut the Bronco deficit down to one before Miami's Nike Sabande nailed a three from the right wing to grab a 64-60 lead. Miami held a 68-63 lead with 1:19 remaining prior to Wilkins catching fire, scoring five straight points to send the game to OT. Miami had a chance to win the game but it's shot bounced off the rim as time expired.

WMU carried its momentum into overtime as Dugan scored four straight points to begin the extra session. Miami's Sabande drilled his third three-pointer to tie the game at 74-74 with 1:50 remaining. On the ensuing possession, Boyer-Richard knocked down a three to give WMU a three-point advantage.

WMU extended its lead to 81-76 with under 30 seconds to play thanks to a dunk by Dugan along with an and-one by Flowers. On the next possession Miami came up short on a jumper that was corralled by Wilkins and was immediately fouled. Wilkins knocked down both free-throws to seal the Bronco victory.

Miami had four players score in double figures with Abdoulaye Harouna and Dalonte Brown each scoring 17 points. The RedHawks move to 13-12 overall, 5-7 in conference play.